Low-cut shoe.



C. L. WHITCOMB.

LOW CUT SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED lAN.28. I914. RENEWED MAR. I8, 1915. 1,138,164.

Patented ay {1, 1915,

minesaes. 6 6 6-. j

THE NORRIS PETERS oo.. FHOT0-lJTHO-. WASHINGTDH, D C.

oAnLroN L. wHIrcoMB, or. BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIe oR or. ONE-THIRD TO FRANK nwnIrcoi/iis AND ONE-THIRD r0 JOHN A. HOLLAND, BOTH or BnooKroN,

MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

LOW-GUT sHon.

Patented May 4, 1915.

Application filed January 28, 1914, Serial -No. 814,949. .RenewedMarch 18, 1915. Serial No. 15,328.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARLTON L. ,lVHiTooMn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Brockto-n, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Low- Cut Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to low cut footwear such as the well known shoe called the pump the upper of which is provided with a. -foot-receiving opening elongated lengthwise of the shoe and extending from the heel end into the vamp, the shoe being self-retaining on the foot. In an ordinary shoe of this character, the side portions of the upper tend to bulge or move away from each other when the shoe is in use, and unduly widen the foot-receiving opening so that the side portions of the upper do not fit the corresponding portions of the foot snugly and neatly, the heel portion of the upper being liable to slip. To minimize these objections in a pump, it is customary to last a pump upper on a last the top of which is much thinner than that of a last on which an Oxford shoe is lasted. This expedient involves another objection, namely, the crushing of the thin and necessarily weak top of the last by the pressure to which it is subjected by a heeling machine and other mechanism employed in making shoes.

My invention has for its object to entirely obviate all of the above-named objections, and it consists in a low cut shoe having aretainer-coniining pocket composed of an outer and an inner member, and a resilient retainer inserted in said pocket, said retainer being adapted to yieldingly reduce the width of the opening and cause the sides of the upper to fit snugly and neatly against the corresponding portions of the foot, the normal width of the foot opening maintained by said retainer being less than the thickness of the top of a last having a relatively thick top and suitable for use in lasting .11 Oxford shoe, so that such last may be used in lasting a pump, the objectionable bulging of the sidesof a pump upper lasted on a thick top last being prevented by the retainer.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a pump embodying my invention; Fig. 2 represents a fragmentary section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 repre- In the drawings: 12 represents the upper ofa pump of ordinary or any suitable form and construction, said upper having the usual vamp and quarters formed with an elongated foot-receiving opening 13, extending from the heel end of the upper into the vamp. 1%. represents the resilient retainer, which is preferably made by imparting to a flat strip of steel, such as is used for corset springs, the elongated U-shape shown by Fig. 3. The retainer is preferably molded so that its sides are inclined, the inclination differingat different portions of the retainer and belng such that the inner side of the retainer conforms to the shape of the different parts of the foot over which the retainer is located. The retainer has a neck portion 14 extending across the forward end of the opening 13, and arms 14c extending along portions of the longitudinal edges of said opening. The retainer is interposed between and concealed by portions of the vamp and quarters, forming an outer pocket member, and an inner pocket member attached to said portions as hereinafter described. Preferably the retainer is incorporated in the upper, before lasting, the upper being in the condition represented by Fig. l, in which a 64 represent the usual quarter lining pieces, and Z2 .7) the usual vamp and toe lining pieces. The arms li of the retainer normally spring inwardly toward each other until the width of the space between them is less than the width to which the opening 13 is expanded by the foot, so that the portions of the upper at opposite sides of the opening 13 are held snugly and yieldingly by the retainer against the corresponding portions of the foot.

It is obvious that the retainer may be of any form suited to the style and cut of the shoe and that it may be of any suitable resilient material, and in either one piece or a plurality of pieces.

My invention may be embodied in other kinds of low cut or formed shoes or foot coverings, such as moccasins, slippers which are self-retaining on the foot without the employment of separable and adjustable fastenings such as lacings, etc.

In the embodiment of the invention here stitches s and are'le'fit unattached between the points a (1 until the retainer hasbeen inserted between the exterior and lining parts of the upper and the line of stitches s is subsequently completed between said points to confine the retainer in place.

The retainer may be coveredwith cloth or 7 other material to prevent it from rusting and from forcing its waythrough the upper or lining particularly at the ends of the arms 1& Fig. 5 shows an enlarged sectional view The inneredges of the tongues a are attached by of one of the retainer arms 14: having a covering 16.

Having described my invention, I'claim A low cut shoe having the usual vamp and quarters formed with an elongated foot-receiving opening extending into the vamp,

portions of the vamprand quarters forming the outer member of a retainer-receivlng pocket extending across the forward end of saidopening and along portions of the sides thereof, quarter linings having narrow forwardly projecting tongues at their upper edges stitched at both edges to the vamp and quarters, said linings an'd tongues forming an. inner pocket member, and a resilient retainer inserted in said pocket and comprising a neck extending across the forward end of the opening and elongated arms extending along portions of the sides of the opening.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CARLTON L. 'WHITCOMB.

WVitnesses:

C. F. BROWN, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

